Families urge responsibility with pets after one dog killed two others

JOSHUA POLSON/jpolson@greeleytribune.com
Tasha Grip stands Tuesday afternoon by the point at her fence where a dog that was half pit bull entered the backyard of her home in Greeley and killed her family's two dogs a week ago. The dog got loose from its owners and killed the Grip's dogs before it was found.

Residents looking for advice on their pets’ behavior can call the Weld County Humane Society help line at (970) 506-9550, Ext. 12. More resources are available at www.weldcountyhumane.org.

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Tasha Grip and her family came home one night last week to find that their two small dogs had been mauled by a large dog, who jumped the fence in their back yard.

They learned Chico was already dead, and Lady would die a few days later.

Bonnie, the large dog, was euthanized after the attack.

Grip’s family and Bonnie’s owners are all grieving for their pets, and they hope others will recognize — and take responsibility for­ — the potentially devastating power their dogs possess.

“Never underestimate what your dog can do, no matter how long you have it, no matter how good you treat it,” said Sam Salazar, Bonnie’s owner.

On March 3, Bonnie, a half-pit-bull mix, weighing about 65 pounds, bolted past Salazar as he was getting ready to take his other dog, Bonnie’s mother Girlie, for a walk.

Salazar said by the time he found Bonnie for the second time, she was in Grip’s back yard, pouncing on one of the little dogs. He said he screamed and punched and kicked Bonnie to get her off of the first dog, but she wouldn’t let up and eventually attacked the other dog.

“She didn’t look like Bonnie anymore,” he said. “She was going so hard on this poor little Shih Tzu.”

Salazar said he left to go get his wife to help with Bonnie, and his wife got to the yard just as neighbors were calling police. His wife eventually distracted Bonnie and took her home. The couple later came back to talk with police, who cited Salazar for having a vicious animal, having a dog at large and for not having the necessary shots and license.

“I just kept blaming myself” Salazar said.

Chico, a Shih Tzu-Pomeranian mix who Grip said was “the smart one,” was dead when police arrived. His mother, Lady, a “dingy” but “loving” Shih Tzu, was badly injured and taken to Pet Emergency. When Grip, her grandparents and two children returned that night, they found a note to call Greeley police.

“It feels like two of our family members were murdered,” she said. “It was just such a horrific way to die.”

Grip said she and her grandparents, Beatrice and Demencio Lira, paid about $1,300 for Lady’s medical expenses before they brought her home. Beatrice Lira said the money came from savings, and they can’t afford to lose that.

Grip and her grandmother say their home seems violated, and they don’t feel like the children, 9 and 5, are safe to play out there.

“I’m afraid to let them out because I don’t know what will happen outside in the yard,” Beatrice Lira said.

Bonnie and Girlie were also part of the family at Salazar’s home. Salazar said he and his wife treated Bonnie as one of their own, and she had never shown any kind of aggression.

But when Salazar saw Bonnie attack the little dogs, he said he could tell she was no longer safe to be around other dogs or possibly even people.

“In my mind, it was the most vicious and scary thing I’ve ever seen,” he said.

The Salazars surrendered Bonnie to the Weld County Humane Society after she even turned on Girlie, and they struggled to pay the $75 for her to be euthanized.

“We decided we couldn’t have her getting loose anymore,” he said. “When she sees a dog, she doesn’t see something she wants to play with; she sees a dog she wants to take down.”

Elaine Hicks, executive director of the county Humane Society, said staff members have to consider the safety of the community when deciding what to do with dogs that are surrendered.

“We do not release animals back into the community that we know to be unsafe,” she said.

Hicks said pet owners need to watch for behavior that can lead to situations like this, and they need to seek help when they notice aggressive tendencies. She said pet owners can call a help line to get advice from the Humane Society, and it’s best to train animals out of bad behavior when they are young.

“Regardless of the breed or the type of the dog, proper training and education for pet owners is the most important aspect of avoiding any types of these problems,” Hicks said.